The Legend of Kalos: The Hero of Everlasting Life
by IcyAltheon
Summary: "The story of Calem is well known. He's the man who stood up to save the Kalos Region from destruction when no one else could. But what was he really like? How'd he achieve so much? All of this and more will be answered as we go though his adventure." Novelisation of Pokemon X. (Takes place in the same universe as "I Never Wanted to be The Hero" by rylek196) Coverart by Chocolexii.
1. The Start of the Legend: Vaniville Town

**Hey Guys! Welcome to this Novelisation of Pokemon X!**

 **I was inspired to write one by rylek196 and his novelisation of Pokemon White "I Never Wanted to be The Hero"**

 **I highly suggest you read it, its the best Novelisation I've ever seen, it's as realistic as it could be and he's masterful at worldbuilding.**

 **The link to the music for Vaniville town is on my profile (much better than the original)**

 **I hope y'all enjoy!**

Usually, Calem was in bed, dreaming, at 7 o'clock in the morning. He wasn't today however. Maybe it was because he hadn't slept well, maybe because he was jet-lagged from the move, or maybe because he was woken up at this time by the SHARP beak of a Fletchling as it collided with his face with enough force to draw blood.

"OW!" Calem woke like a Spoink-in-the-box, springing into an upright position. Dazed, he looked around for a moment to regain his bearings before realizing what had happened.

"What was that for?!" Calem glared at the bird Pokemon roosting on his desk, which only opened its mouth to cheep repeatedly, like it was laughing at him. Irritated, Calem jumped out of bed and rushed at the Fletchling, only to fail miserably as his hands closed in around thin air.

"Fletchling!" The Pokemon cawed as it flew out the window, cheekily goading Calem one last time.

Calem shook his head. He'd never catch Fletchling, it was too quick in its movements. His stomach growled, he was hungry too. If he didn't get some food inside of him soon, he was gonna fall back on his bed and pass out. He also needed to bandage the bruise left on his face by the Fletchlings beak.

Calem looked around his new room. It looked like mom had finished unpacking all the boxes from the move.

Apart from his bed and the cupboard, which was new, everything was arranged the way it had been back in his old room in Kanto. His Roxie poster, his drawings of the famed trainers of the past, his furniture, his TV with his Wii U, his PC, everything was just perfect. It made him feel a little homesick for Pallet Town and its Viridian forest he used to play in with his friends.

Calem, clutching his stomach as he did, ran down the stairs to ask his mother for breakfast. On the way, he tripped and fell down the stairs like a cartoon character, collapsing on the floor at the bottom of the stairs like a sack of rocks.

"Calem!" His mother called from the kitchen. "Was that you falling down the stairs again? Or was it the boxes?"

Calem groaned. In the Kanto region, people usually didn't have stairs in their houses. Only public buildings and the offices of large corporations like the Silph Company and the GameFreak had them. And as he'd never stepped beyond Viridian forest all his life, he had no idea to use them properly.

"It was an accident mom! You know I'm not used to walking down the stairs!"

"You can ride a Rhyhorn speeding at over 30 kilometers per hour over the nastiest speed bumps and not even flinch, but you trip and fall down the stairs. I'm starting to think maybe it was a bad idea moving here."

"You got that right." Calem muttered to himself. Leaving all his friends and family in the Kanto region to come to Kalos had been a decision he'd strongly protested against. Unfortunately, the races with the best pay would happen in the Kalos region for the next few years, so they'd really had no choice.

"It doesn't matter though sweetheart, you'll learn. Would you like some pancakes?"

Calems eyes widened. "Yes please!"

Picking himself off of the ground, Calem rushed to living room to find his mom making pancakes over the stove. "Where's the maple syrup?"

Calems mother turned around. "It's in the fridge swee-" she stopped speaking when she caught sight of Calems dishevelled appearance and his bleeding face.

"Honey, you look like you picked a fight with a Persian. Why is your face bleeding?" She asked him.

Calem sighed. "It's that Fletchling you adopted, it struck me right in the cheek and flew out the window. Seriously, can we get rid of that pest?" Calem wasn't particularly fond of flying type Pokemon, especially because of his bad experiences with spearow back in Viridian forest.

"Calem, he's a lovely bird, I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt you, he must have just wanted to wake you up. Now, let's clean up that wound of yours."

His mother removed the first aid kit she usually kept in the cabinet for any injuries like cuts or burns that could occur in the kitchen, and cleaned and put a band-aid over the cut.

"There, good as new! Now eat your pancakes before they get cold!"

Calem nodded his thanks as he poured syrup over his breakfast and began to shovel pancakes into his mouth as fast as he could, enjoying the sweet sensation of the fluffy pancakes melting in his mouth.

When he was finished, he turned towards the door, eager to go out and explore this new town when his moms voice stopped him in his tracks. "Calem!"

He turned back. "Yeah mom?"

"Honestly, you can't possibly go outside in your pajamas! Also, you look very dishevelled. Go upstairs and take a bath, I'll lay out some fresh clean clothes for you on your bed.

"...Fine"

 _ **INTERLUDE**_

It was a clean Calem who left his house that morning. dressed in a blue jacket above a white shirt, blue trousers, boots and a hat with sunglasses on top. Although a bit disgruntled at this new change in wardrobe, Calem pranced around outside as he explored the town with its old style houses, enjoying the fresh air and sunlight on the bright sunny day. That is of course, until he was interrupted by the sound of laughter.

Hearing a steady stream of giggles, Calem whipped around to discover two girls who were highly amused at his antics and weren't afraid to show it.

The first girl was shorter than the other, wearing a pink shirt with a symbol of bow ties on the front, a VERY short pair of shorts that probably would've gotten her arrested for indecent exposure back in Kanto, a pink pair of strapped shoes with no socks, a pink bag slung across her body and having a very wild hairstyle that reminded Calem of Rosa, the wife of one of the legendary trainers of Unova, Nate.

The other girl was taller and was a bit more appealing to Calem in terms of beauty. She wore a sleeveless black top that covered most of her upper body except for her arms, a skirt that was attached at her stomach and ended at her upper thighs, black leggings that started a bit below the skirt after showing a bit of skin, black shoes and a hat similar to his that covered her head, allowing long curly blonde tresses to fall and touch her shoulders and arms.

Blushing a bit, partially because of being embarrassed, and partially because the blonde girl was intensely good looking, Calem managed not to stumble.

Straightening up and trying to hide his blush, Calem extended a hand.

"Hi! My name is Calem and I just moved here from the Kanto region. What's your name?" He squeezed out with a grin.

The taller girl looked surprised for a moment before grasping his hand in a handshake. "Pleased to meet you! I'm Serena and that is Shauna. We're your new neighbors, so welcome to Vaniville town!"

Shauna smiled. "It's so nice to meet new people and make more memories, especially when those new people are hopping around like a bunnelby in spring!"

She giggled again, which annoyed Calem as she was embarrassing him in front of Serena. "I wasn't doing that for fun! I was, uh, strengthening my leg muscles so I could hold on to a Rhyhorns saddle for longer! Yes, that's what I was doing."

Serena gave him an appraising look. "Oh, so you're the son of the famous Rhyhorn racer Grace, aren't you?"

Calems face darkened for a moment like it always did when his mothers fame was mentioned, before brightening again as to not mess up his first impression. "Yep! That's me!"

Serena smiled. "That makes my job a whole lot easier. The esteemed Professor Sycamore of the Kalos Region asked me to find the son of the Rhyhorn racer Grace, basically you, and bring him to Aquacorde town because he has a request for five kids, including us. I am a bit surprised he knows who you are though. You did just move to Vaniville after all."

 _"That's what I'm wondering myself."_ Calem thought, a little surprised that a Pokémon Professor would want him in this new region.

"Oh well, that sounds cool! Lead the way Serena!"

 **I wonder if that's a good start?**

 **There's gonna be swearing and battle scenes in the coming chapters, so I hope you guys enjoy it. I decided to use a mix of the games and anime Serena. She'll have her games personality (not so much of a ditz) but her anime appearance. There will be some Kalosshipping in the future so keep an eye out!**

 **Thanks for reading you guys, and as always, Have Fun!**

 **PEACE OUT**


	2. The Start of the Legend: Aquacorde Town

**Hi y'all! I'm back with another chapter for all of you.**

 **I probably should mention that battles will work a little differently here than it does in the games. Moves that lower the opponents defense, like Tail Whip, won't really lower the defence. They'll just leave the opponent stunned for a moment, leaving the Pokemon to attack with full force. I suggest you go and take a look at rylek196's Novelization of Pokémon White "I Never Wanted to be The Hero". Battles here adhere to the same rules as are in his story. Plus, his story is like the gold standard for the way a Pokémon Novelization should be written. Triangle Bitch! Study! (Who got that reference? 😉)**

 **Btw, the link to Aquacorde towns Theme is on my profile.**

As it turns out, Serena didn't lead the way to Aquacorde town. At least, not in the way Calem expected.

Shauna and her ran through the gates and disappeared down Route 1, leaving him in the dust, wondering whether all Kalosians were Rapidash fast.

Calem stared at the large gates, wondering whether or not he'd need Pokémon to leave Vaniville. Back home, it was illegal to go onto the routes unless you had a Pokémon or were with someone who did, in case you got attacked by wild Pokémon. Calem had only ever been able to leave Pallet town with his mothers Rhyhorn, he wondered if he'd have to do the same here.

Calem went back to his house. "Mom!" He called.

Graces face popped out from behind the stove. "What is it sweetie?"

"Can I borrow Rhyhorn? I've been invited by two girls to go to Aquacorde town to meet their friends."

"Look at you! Making new friends already! But you don't need Rhyhorn dear, Route 1 is completely free from wild Pokémon. There's no tall grass anywhere."

Calem was shocked. "Really?"

"Yep, you're quite safe."

Calem didn't have the patience to hear more. He yelled a thanks to his mom and ran out the door towards Route 1, excited to meet everyone, especially Serena. Maybe Kalos wasn't going to be such a bore after all.

 ** _INTERLUDE_**

Aquacorde town was a little similar to the pictures of Striaton City that Calem had seen when reading about the Hero of Ideals, Hilbert of the Unova Region. However, it had no garden, no Dreamyard, no Pokemon centre and the buildings were Villas, a style from the old Kalosian times, rather that apartment blocks.

The town was much larger than Calem had expected, with plenty of villas side-by-side in an orderly fashion at the edges of the town. It seemed quiet and peaceful, though pedestrians who walked by Calem were louder than he expected, probably as a result of their Kalosian accent. The shopping district was located in one of the bigger villas in town, the only thing distinguishing it was a sign that had a picture of a potion on it. Calem guessed Aquacorde town had once been a rich neighborhood for the ancient Kalosian nobility, and afterward, it had been converted into a town for normal civilians, using the villas as they wished. It was bit like the people of Nacrene city in Unova as well, who used old storehouses as places of dwellings. Calem wondered why there wasn't a Pokémon center in town. Although there was a woman who healed your Pokemon when they were injured, as Calem was about to find out.

Calem had just entered the town when he heard his name called out.

"Hey Calem! Over here!" Calem turned to his left. A couple of feet away, he saw Serena and Shauna sitting alongside two others on the outdoor patio, with 6 chairs and two small tables.

"Come on! We're not waiting for the Tangela to grow!" Shauna waved to him.

Calem ran over and sat down. "What gives? Y'all ran through the gates so quickly, I felt like I was Wile E Lycanrock and you were the Dodrio. Anyways, What was the request that the Professor...uh...what was his name again? Silver Lime? Hawthorne? Ebony? Bee-"

"His name is, well, Augustine Sycamore?" The kid sitting opposite to Calem sounded like he was asking a question more than answering. He was a short guy, with spherical orange hair and wore a pale green shirt with white sleeves, a pair of black trousers, light green shoes and had a backpack slung around his shoulders.

Calems cheeks reddened. "That was gonna be option number 5."

Serena snapped her fingers. "Come on guys! We're not here to argue, besides Calem, we were just talking about you!"

Calem raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah! I wanted the others to know that you were gonna be the new member in our little group of friends. You're gonna be one of us now right? I thought it would be good to meet the rest of us." Serena clapped him on the back.

Calem smiled, partially thankful he was making new friends really quickly and partially thankful for the physical contact. "I appreciate that you're trying hard to integrate me into your social group Serena, thanks."

Serena smiled back at him. "Don't mention it! So, Calem, this is our usual meeting place. I'll introduce you."

She turned to the others. "Everyone" this is Calem, as you probably already know, unless of course you're Tierno who's always thinking of dancing."

She nodded to the guy sitting across from her. He was a rather large fellow, with a huge body mass and chubby arms and face, wearing a black t-shirt with a Vanillite as a logo, a pair of orange-brown trousers, white and yellow saddle shoes, and a watch on his left wrist. He also had a smaller bag slung around his neck. Unfortunately Tierno was tapping his foot with a thoughtful look on his face and didn't seem to hear what she was saying.

The kid next to Tierno tapped him hard on the shoulder. "Uh Tierno? That's your cue to say something."

Tierno woke from his daydream in seconds. "What? Oh, it's Calem isn't it? Shaunas description was spot-on!"

Serena shook her head. "Calem, this is Tierno. He's got some serious dance moves."

" _Dance moves?_ " Calem thought to himself as he stared at the large imposing bulk of Tierno. " _Belly Dancing perhaps, but certainly not dancing as in Cressaliawalks or The Beautifly?"_

Serena pointed to the kid sitting across from him, the one who'd interrupted him earlier. "This is Trevor. He never misses a single question on his test, but he's a little shy."

Trevor uncertainly held out his hand to shake, which Calem took. "Hello."

Calem wasn't very impressed with most of the group, he had to admit, they didn't seem all too bright except for Trevor and Serena. Trevor, though, looked like he was more of a book-smart person, while Serena was more street-smart.

While he mused thus, Shauna came up with a rather ludicrous idea. "You know, to get a better feel for him, maybe we should give him a nickname!"

Tiernos face lit up. "I second that! So what will it, maybe C-Meister?"

While Calem stared at them with a mixture of amusement and shock, Shauna exclaimed her profound disapproval of it. "No! He's Li'l C for sure!" She piped in, which Calem had to admit was worse.

"Do I get a say in this?" Calem asked them weakly, but they didn't seem to hear him.

While they argued, Tierno had just enough time between breaths to ask Trevor. "What do you think his nickname should be?"

Trevor looked up, startled. "What? Don't you think it's a little too early to nickname him? We just met him." Which Calem thought was the most sensible thing that anyone had said all day.

"Come on! Choose a name!" Tierno urged Trevor.

"Uh, I don't know. How about something low key? Maybe, Big C?"

" _That's actually the worst one yet."_ Calem sweat dropped as he watched the fruitless argument.

Fortunately for him, and probably the name rater of the Kalos Region, wherever the hell he was, Serena silenced them by raising her voice.

"Enough! Why don't we just let Calem decide what kind of nickname he'd like, and whether or not he wants one in the first place."

Silence descended upon the group as they all stared at Calem, waiting for an answer.

"Uh, maybe we can hold off on the nicknaming for now? Like Trevor said, we've just met and all. Plus, nicknames and titles are usually given to a person based on something they've done right? Like Ethan of Johto. He was such a prodigy, people began to call him Gold. Not to say I'm like him, but just an example..." Calem trailed off awkwardly.

Serena nodded. "That makes much more sense if you ask me. We'll just call you Calem for now." She looked to the others. "You all agree right?"

There was a general nod of assent, though Shauna frowned, as if upset by the fact her idea wasn't picked.

She bounced back quickly though, as she turned to Tierno with an excited grin. "Hey! Can we see the Pokémon now? I wanna meet my new partner!"

It took a second for it to sink in, but then Calem jarred violently as if he'd suffered a nasty shock. "Hold up just one Arceus-Damn minute, what Pokémon?"

Tierno looked surprised. "Wait, didn't Shauna tell you why we were coming here?"

Shauna turned to Serena. "I thought you were gonna tell him!"

Serena blushed, which was pretty cute. "I may have forgotten is all."

Tierno turned to Calem. "Well, basically, Professor Sycamore informed Trevor and I to give Pokémon to you, Serena and Shauna. I'm still not sure why though, he asked for all of us to come to Lumiose City after you got your Pokémon and then he'd explain. You want one don't you?"

"You kidding?" Calem gaped. "Of course I would! I've wanted a Pokémon of my own for my entire life! I've always imagined this day, meeting the Pokémon I would begin my journey with. Come on! Show us!"

Tierno laughed. "Sure I will, I remember how excited I was to get my own for the first time. It's was such a cool feeling when Trevs and I met our Pokémon! Hope ya feel the same way we did! Anyways, here ya go!"

Tierno pulled out a purple and yellow cylindrical case from his bag and opened it up, revealing three pokeballs. There were notes present above each pokeball, along with a diagram of each Pokémon.

Calem casually inspected each one. The one on the farthest left was Chespin, the grass type, it looked very friendly, but also was rather spiky. The one in the middle was Fennekin the fire type, it was very furry and Calem could feel warmth emanating from it's fur. The one on the last was Froakie the water type, who's mouth was set in a perpetual frown, but looked pretty agile. Calem thought all three looked cool, he didn't know what to choose at first. He thought over it for a moment, and then made up his mind.

"I choose..."

 **I'm gonna leave you with a cliffhanger right there, I wanna see if any of you can guess what Calem is gonna choose.**

 **Thanks for reading y'all, and as always, Have Fun!**

 **PEACE OUT**


	3. The First Battle: Chespin vs Froakie

**It's been a while hasn't it?**

 **Sorry for taking such a long time to update guys, first my exams came around and then Sun and Moon came out, blah blah blah. Needless to say, I've been busy.**

 **Nonetheless, I hope y'all enjoy this chapter!**

 **Oh, and for those of you who are interested, the link to the music that plays during the battle is on my profile.**

"I'm going with Chespin! He looks strong!" Calem grabbed the ball that contained the Pokémon and held it up in pure joy. Finally! He had a Pokémon of his own!

"Why don't you nickname Chespin?" Shauna suggested as her hands hovered above Tiernos case.

"I think Chespin is fine as he is, without a nickname. I don't think he needs..." Calem trailed off, admiring the pokeball from every angle, as though it were some kind of jewel.

"That's fine too! I'm going with Froakie!" Shauna picked up the pokéball that held Froakie. "Awww! He's so cute! Just like me! So we're a perfect match!" Shauna squealed with delight.

Passing aside that slightly arrogant comment of cuteness, Calem turned to Serena, watching her reaction.

Serena held up the pokéball, gently stroking the exterior and speaking to it as though the Pokémon inside could hear her. (Could they?)

"Nice to meet you, Fennekin. I'm Serena, your new partner. You look cute and strong, a perfect blend of it too! Because of you, I can finally be a real Pokémon trainer, thanks!"

Calem was on the verge of bringing Chespin out of its pokéball when Trevor stopped him. "Wait!"

Everyone turned to look at him, Calem with annoyance for stopping him. "What?"

Trevor blushed. "Uh, pardon me, but I have something for you from the Professor as well. Something you'll need if you have a Pokémon by your side. Something that will help you understand Pokémon on a much deeper lev-"

"Would you stop blabbering and just tell us what the Professor sent us?" Calem interrupted, itching to bring out Chespin.

Trevor blushed even further, going from pink to beetroot red. Without a word, he handed a rectangular red contraption, whose two sides were connected by what looked like a pane of glass, to Calem.

Calem turned the thing around in his hands, checking out every inch of the machine. His eyes widened as he recognized the famed device. "This is a Pokédex isn't it?"

Trevor smiled. "Oh, so you know what it is? Great, I don't have to explain it to you."

Calem frowned in his direction. "I'm from Pallet town, the home of Red. Everyone knows what a Pokedéx is, Red being the first to complete the Kanto version. My question is, why is the Professor giving us these?"

Trevor smiled broadly. "The Professor wants us to go in a journey with our Pokémon and complete the Pokédex! I'm sure it's an important mission from the Professor. Isn't that exciting!"

Calem proceeded to smile at him, even though his mind was elsewhere.

The Pokedéx, the legendary device that had been developed by Professor Oak of the Kanto Region in his younger days. It was the mark of a trainer to receive a Pokedéx, how else would you know what moves your Pokémon learned and forgot? But the story of the Pokedéx was much darker than many would believe.

The main function of the Pokedéx was to record any Pokémon a trainer met automatically and register it if the Pokémon was caught. If you could do this for every Pokémon in the world, you'd complete the Pokedéx and become the greatest of all Pokémon trainers. That had been the aim of Red, the greatest Pokémon trainer of all time. He had come the closest to doing it, capturing 150 of the 151 Pokémon found in the Kanto region. But he could never find one Pokémon, the one that no one had seen in millennia, the ancestor of all Pokémon, Mew.

Red had searched the Kanto region for years, looking through every valley, every mountain, every field, searching for some sign of Mew. He found no trace of it anywhere. Finally, in sheer desperation, he had gone to the unforgiving peak of Mt Silver, where he found Pokémon that he'd never seen before and couldn't be registered in his Pokedéx. The realization that all his efforts had been for nothing and that there were more than 151 Pokémon in the world shattered Red's mind and drove him to insanity.

When Gold found him, standing on the peak of Mt Silver, he attacked in a furious rage. Their battle was, and still is, the reason that Mt Silver now no longer has a peak, but a gigantic crater stretching across that's visible from space. After the battle ended, Red disappeared, leaving the world scratching its head and wondering where he'd gone. He'd eventually returned after ten years, participating in the PWT in Unova and facing the Unovan champion Nate. Their battle shook the very foundations of the Unova Region and destroyed the entire PWT and Driftveil city, leaving the place in ruins until it was rebuilt. Even now, the place resembled a desert, due to the after-effects of the clash of Nate's Dragonite and Red's Charizard.

Calem's mind was still on Red when Tiernos voice snapped him out of it. "Oh lighten up, Trevs! You're way too serious sometimes. We're going on this journey to have fun!"

Tierno turned to Calem. "Um, Calem? Please take this with you too. It's a letter from the Professor. He said you should give it to your mom."

Tierno handed an envelope to Calem, who held it in his hand gingerly. There was a faint scent of perfume that seemed to cling to the letter. Did Professor Sycamore spray perfume on the letter as a sign of greeting? Is that what they did in the Kalos Region?

Tierno flexed his arms and grinned. "Finally! We're done with our errand for the Professor. I'm going off to catch some more Pokémon for my dance team." He turned to Trevor. "Trevs, ya wanna come along?"

Needless to say, Trevor did go with him and the two ran off somewhere...

Serena, smiling slightly at the eagerness of her fellow trainers to catch Pokémon, turned to Calem. "I think you better give that letter to your mother before we go off on our journey. We'll wait for you here."

Calem nodded his head and got up, heading for the exit of Aquacorde town. On the way he wondered what was in the letter Sycamore had sent for his mother and whether or not he'd be allowed to take Rhyhorn with him so he wouldn't have to walk everywhere.

Calem was halfway to the exit when he heard a shout behind him. "CALEM, WAIT!"

Calem turned around to find Shauna with her hands on her hips. "We both have Pokémon right? Why don't we battle? Okay it's settled, you're gonna be my opponent in my Pokémon-battling debut!"

Before Calem could even reply, Shauna twirled around like a Kirlia. "OK, Li'l Froakie! It's our first battle! Let's shine and win it with style!"

Shauna grabbed her pokéball from her belt and flung it at Calem. It opened in midair and Froakie emerged from the pokéball, landing on its two back feet and staring at Calem.

Calem, feeling like he had no other choice at this moment in time, flung the ball he'd been holding and it opened in midair too, releasing Chespin who landed and growled at Froakie.

Passersby stopped and watched the rapidly unfolding battle, some smiling at the rookie trainers.

"Froakie! Use Bubble!" Shauna commanded. Froakie seemed to chew on something for a moment before bubbles shot out from his lips, heading straight for Chespin. Calem yelled for Chespin to dodge, but Chespin wasn't fast enough and the bubbles scored a direct hit on Chespin, knocking him back a few inches.

"Shit!" Calem swore in dismay. "Chespin! Use Vine Whip!" Long and slender vines appeared from Chespins back and flung themselves towards Froakie, who jumped high and dodged the vines, which slammed into the ground, leaving a few cracks in the pavement.

"Again! Use Bubble!" The bubbles once again shot from Froakie mouth, heading straight for Chespin. This time, though, Calem had a plan.

"Chespin! This time, use your vines to smash those bubbles while they're in the air!" Vines once again emerged from Chespins back and extended themselves towards the bubbles in the air. The vines smashed the bubbles into water droplets, covering the trainers and the few passersby in a drizzle.

"Hey!" "Watch it kid!" "This is my newest dress!"

Calem ignored the shouts. "Chespin! Use Tackle when Froakie comes back down!" Chespin lowered his spiky head and charged towards the spot where Froakie was going to land like a Tauros charging at a red flag. Froakie didn't even have the chance to dodge. "CRASH!"

Froakie was flung into the air once again. "Froakie!" Shauna screamed in dismay.

"End it Chespin!" Use Vine Whip and slam Froakie into the ground!" The vines emerged for the last time and zoomed towards Froakie at high speed.

"Froakie! Use Pound to destroy those vines!" But Froakie didn't even have the time to hit the vines. They reached him, wrapped around him and slammed him into the ground. "THUD!"

The vines uncoiled, leaving Froakie bruised and battered, clearly knocked out.

"WOOOOO! Yeah, I win!" Calem pumped his fist. Yes! He'd won his first battle! This was definitely a good omen for the future.

Shauna recalled Froakie. "Hey! I wasn't done watching my cute Li'l Froakie yet! Why would you end the battle so quickly?"

Calem shrugged. "Just wanted to fight hard, I didn't realize that it would be over that quickly. Good fight though, if I hadn't used that tackle, you probably would-"

What Shauna would have done they never found out, because suddenly, Calem and Shauna's Trainer ID's glowed, with Calem's ID glowing gold and Shauna's glowing silver.

Calem checked his card. "What happened?"

Shauna sighed. "When you lose a battle, you automatically lose money and give it to the winner. I just lost 500 francs, and you gained them. When the card glows gold, you gain money and when it glows silver, you lose it."

Calem nodded his head, quickly realizing the implications. "So you've gotta keep winning in order to survive while on a journey. I'm gonna have to keep that in mind. Seriously good match though, you were amazing." Calem exaggerated a bit.

Shauna's frown quickly turned into a grin. "You were amazing too Calem! I can see that you and Chespin are a perfect combo. Anyways, I gotta go find Serena! Say hi to your mom for me!" With that, Shauna ran off.

Calem shook his head at the lighthearted ways of the Kalosians. "She's certainly got energy to spare, that's for sure. I wonder if Serena will be any better at battling. I gotta get to mom, I wonder what she's gonna say?"

 **I'll end the chapter with that, seems like a pretty good place to stop.**

 **Since Kalos is based on France, I thought I might make the currency PokeFrancs, Francs for short.**

 **Make sure you leave some reviews, I'm always welcome to constructive criticism!**

 **Let's see what happens next chapter? Will Calem win against Serena? Will he catch a new Pokémon in Santalune forest? It's all in the air for now.**

 **Thanks for reading, and as always, Have Fun!**

 **PEACE OUT**


	4. A Family Dispute: Calem vs Grace

**Hey Everyone!**

 **Sorry for the delay, I've been busy studying for exams and stuff.**

 **Enjoy!**

Calem had just gone through the gate of Aquacorde town and left the place when he ran into a familiar, yet irritating, face.

"Fletchling!" The little bird cawed at him angrily, annoyed that he'd dodged the impending peck. That little shit.

"Oh yeah? You wanna fight?! Let's go!" Calem yelled as he brought out Chespin, who glared at the bird Pokémon.

"Chespin, use Tackle!" Chespin lowered his head and charged at the Fletchling, which easily avoided his attack and flew into the air. The Pokémon then dived at Chespin, its beak glowing brightly.

"It's using Peck..." Calem muttered to himself, before coming up with an idea.

"Chespin! Don't move!" The grass type Pokemon looked surprised but followed Calem's order, standing his ground.

At the last second, when the Fletchling was about to slam into Chespin, Calem yelled. "CHESPIN, DODGE THE ATTACK!"

Chespin widened his legs and moved smartly to the side, leaving the Fletchling to crash into the ground, beak first. "CRACK!"

Calem recalled Chespin and looked at the injured Pokémon with disdain. It's beak hadn't shattered, but it was definitely bent at an angle. This thing was all brawn and no brains.

Calem wanted to walk away, but as cruel as he could be, he wasn't heartless. Sighing, he picked up the injured Fletchling and ran for home, hoping his mother would know something about healing injured Pokémon.

* * *

As it turned out, Grace knew quite a bit about healing injured Pokémon. She also was quite angry with him for injuring the Fletchling. She didn't even notice the pokéball on Calem's waist, nor did she hear his first words when he walked in, "Hey mom, I've gotten my own Pokémon!"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU CALEM." She rained down on him, ignoring his protests. "IT'S JUST A TINY BIRD POKÉMON, SMALLER THAN A PIDGEY! ARE YOU INSANE?! YOU COULD HAVE KILLED HIM!"

This went on for quite some time, until finally, Calem became extremely irritated.

"STOP!" Calem bellowed over her yelling, having had enough. "I DID NOTHING TO THE FLETCHLING. HE ATTACKED ME, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!"

Grace seemed quite shocked at the outburst. She immediately reduced the volume, but her voice still retained a steely edge to it. "You should have run away! How did he get hurt anyway?!"

Calem also lowered his voice. "I didn't injure him, he injured himself. When he tried to use Peck on Chespin, I simply had Chespin stand there until Fletchling was right on top of him. Chespin then moved to the side and he smashed his beak against the stone pathway."

Expecting a response, Calem put his hands on his hips, only to realize there wasn't one. Grace was staring at him with her jaw dropped. The silence was deafening, but Calem didn't move. When she finally spoke, it was with a weaker sort of voice without any steel in it whatsoever. "Chespin?"

For once, it was Calem's turn to glare. "Yes, in case you didn't notice the pokéball or what I'd said earlier, I got my first Pokémon. It's a grass type called Chespin."

To prove his point, Calem sent out Chespin, who smiled at Grace with a toothy grin, while she stood there in shock.

"There's also something for you. Professor Sycamore, the professor who gave me this Pokémon, also gave me a letter that's addressed to you." Calem removed the letter from his bag and held it out to Grace, who didn't take it, still paralyzed with shock.

"Uh, mom?" Calem waved his hand in front of his mother, who blinked as she came back to earth. "There's a letter for you!"

Grace took the letter from Calem's hand and held it gingerly, as though it were going to explode. When she deemed it safe to open, she tore open the envelope with her nails and flipped open the letter, reading it while standing. As she read it, she began to frown, her eyes narrowing as her body became stiff, clearly becoming aggravated by whatever the letter contained.

"Is there a problem?" Calem enquired as she reached the end of the letter, gripping it so tightly that her nails were tearing the paper. "Why do you look angry?"

Grace closed the letter and shoved it into the pocket on her shirt as she took a few deep breaths to control her rage, failing miserably at it when she spoke to Calem.

"It's nothing. This letter is merely a welcome to the Kalos Region." She said, with traces of anger still present in her voice. "Now go and change, you need to get ready for practice."

"Practice?" Calem was stunned. "Mom, What did that letter really say? And why do you want me to practice Rhyhorn Racing now?"

"Don't talk back to me young man." Grace commanded sternly. "Do as I say!"

"No, hold on. You dodged my question. What was in that letter?" Calem asked again.

"Calem, I'm not going to say it one more time. You. Are. Practicing." Grace's voice turned harsh.

Calem would've normally crumbled to dust in the face of his angry mother. But he was a trainer now, with his own Pokémon. He wouldn't back down from a fight. "Mom, does that letter have something to do with me going on a journey?"

This was clearly the final straw for Grace. She moved forward with her hand raised, ready to slap Calem for his disobedience. Calem instinctively shut his eyes, awaiting the painful blow. But it never came.

Confused, Calem opened one eye to find a shocking sight. Sensing that his master was in danger, Chespin had used one of his vines to catch the slap midair, the other curling around Grace and immobilizing her.

"CALEM! TELL YOUR POKÉMON TO LET ME GO OR SO HELP ME YOU WILL BE GROUNDED FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!" Grace growled.

Calem shook his head, ignoring her shout. "No, wait a moment. Chespin, pull that letter out of her pocket. I wanna see what's in it that caused her go crazy."

Chespin obliged, the second vine letting go of her hand and slithering its way into her pocket, Grace straining against the first vine the whole time and threatening Calem with severe punishment.

At first, Calem was uncertain as to how the vine would grab the letter, as it had no fingers. But his question was immediately answered as the vine emerged from the pocket. It had split into two at the end, and the letter was clamped between the two pieces, like a thumb and index finger. Chespin dropped the letter into Calem's hands, who immediately unfolded it and began to read.

 _Bonjour mon chérie!_

 _My name is Augustine Sycamore, Professor of Pokémon of the Kalos Region! I'm sure that you will be glad to hear that your son has been selected to be a member of a group of five trainers who will journey the Kalos Region to collect data on the newly discovered fairy type Pokémon! Under the presumption that he has already received a trainer ID from the Kalos Pokémon league upon his arrival here, I have bestowed upon him a Pokédex and a brand new Pokémon of his choice for his protection during his quest! He's free to tear around to his hearts content! However, by the rules of the Pokémon League, he must travel from city to city collecting Gym badges in order to remain a trainer. As I'm sure you're aware, only Trainers and Rangers are allowed into the deep wilderness, and the Ranger Corps claimed to be too busy to help me. I thought that this would be the best way for your son to not only help me, but to make new friends and explore the region! I await your son's arrival in Lumiose city, where he can give me your letter of consent._

 _Votre sincèrement, Augustine Sycamore_

"Wow." Calem muttered to himself. "That's some quality handwriting. And what's the Fairy Type?"

He looked up, betrayal writ upon his face in great measure. "You're trying to prevent me from going? Mom, why?"

YGrace snarled at him. "Don't question me young man. You read the letter, you need my consent in order to go. I'm not giving you consent, EVER."

Calem just looked at her, not in anger, but in pity. "You're just making yourself the villain here mom. Tell me the truth, give me a good reason as to why I shouldn't go."

Grace glared at him, and Calem glared back. For two minutes, there was only silence as they stared at each other, a contest of wills.

Finally, she sighed in exasperation. "It's because of your father. Shortly after you were born, he-"

"-left on a journey and never came back." Calem finished. "Mom, you've told me that story for years, trying to persuade me not to become a trainer. That's the reason you don't want me to go?"

"YES." Grace said through gritted teeth. "Your father left me, and now you are too?! I've loved you and cared for you for so many years! Can't you just become a Rhyhorn Racer like me and stay?! It's good money, and you've been practicing since you were a baby! What'll you do as a trainer?!"

"I'll get strong." Calem responded. "I'll battle to earn money, I'll explore the region and make new friends. I'll learn a great deal about Pokémon and do what I've wanted to do since I was a kid. I told you mom, I want to follow in the footsteps of the great trainers of the past, like Hilbert for instance! The guy went on the become the Hero of Ideals, the chosen one of Zekrom! There's even a competition held yearly in Unova named after him! Remember the news about the Tournament of Black Lightning? Red, Brendan, Lucas, Nate and all the rest of those legends were in there! I told you that one day I was going to participate, and being a trainer is the best way to do that."

"You are not like them Calem. Have you even had a battle yet? A REAL one?"

"As a matter of fact, I did." Calem put his hands on his hips. "A girl named Shauna challenged me to one, and I beat her."

Grace seemed stunned for a moment, but then quickly recovered. "I don't believe you. Calem, don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying to you." Calem was losing his patience. "Alright, I'll make a deal with you. I'm challenging YOU to a battle. My Chespin and I versus Jacob and you. If I win, you let me go. If I lose, I'll stay home."

Almost immediately after he said it, Calem regretted it. Grace smirked. "Oh, my little boy's all grown up eh? Alright Calem, you're on. Let me show you how difficult the world really is!"

 **As you can see, I altered the typical clichéd mom who lets their kid run off into the distance without a second thought. Grace is overprotective, a bit too overprotective really. She ain't evil, but she sure does seem like it in this chapter. I'm sorry if this upsets you, I thought it would be good to deviate from the storyline just a little bit. It seems that Calem's first obstacle appears even before he leaves his home! What's gonna happen to him? Is he gonna win? Or is he gonna lose? Cause I got two different storylines I could use depending on what happens. I'm just gonna leave you guys hanging over there because I'm evil. MWAHAHAHAHAHA**

 **In any case, thanks for reading y'all, and as always, Have Fun!**

 **PEACE OUT**


	5. A Filial Battle: Calem vs Grace

**What's going on y'all? I know, I know, I should've uploaded faster than this. But please, I have an excuse this time! Sometime ago, I caught MDR-TB and was hospitalized for sometime. Even though I'm recovering, the treatment wasn't really easy on the body before and it hasn't really improved. Sorry guys, but I still hope you enjoy! Btw, should I start making the chapters longer? Oh, and the link to the appropriate battle music for this chapter is on my profile, go check it out!**

 _"See you later Calem!"_ _"More like smell you later Calem! Hahahahahahahaha!"_

 _A much younger and immature Calem waved his friends goodbye as he ran into the house, barely stopping to acknowledge the happy grunt that Jacob made when he ran past him._ _Calem was excited, after almost two years, his dad was coming home today!_

 _Dad was such a great trainer! He was a master of his art and a contender for the Elite Four in a few years! He always brought home something interesting and awesome from his adventures though the world. A replica of the Dark Stone! A signed autograph from Brendan himself! An old Capture Styler from Fiore! There was always something great awaiting Calem whenever his dad came home!_

 _Hungry as a hunter, Calem stopped as he barged into the kitchen, breathing heavily in both exhaustion and excitement, only to find the kitchen empty and void of any life, a rare occurrence in this household._ _Calem stared at the free space his mother usually occupied before zipping out and over to the edge of town where his mom usually practiced racing with Jacob. Calem was halfway there when he realized that he'd seen Jacob already at home, and streamed back home in both embarrassment and confusion. Of mom wasn't in the kitchen or on the practice course, where could she be?_

 _His question was soon answered as he found his mother sitting on the roof of the house, reading a letter in a trembling hand under the soft orange rays of the setting sun. Calem was considering asking her what was wrong, but after a few seconds, he found he didn't need to. After all, why else would his mother break down like that?_

* * *

"ARE YOU READY?!"

Calem was jolted out of the eleven year old memory by his mothers fearsome drill sergeant voice, the same one she used when she coached him in Rhyhorn Racing.

They were presently in the front yard of their house, which would serve as the field of battle for this fight. Calem hadn't meant to drift away into the memory, but he guessed the conversation about his father had unconsciously brought them back. Calem almost immediately regretted this, for he could've planned his strategy from the beginning and now he had to do it during the fight itself.

"I said, ARE YOU READY?!" Grace bellowed at him.

Feeling angry now, partially due to the mystery of that old memory, Calem impulsively sent Chespin out onto the field. "Bring it on! I ain't afraid of you!"

Calem unfortunately didn't realize that he'd just allowed his mother to make the first move. Smiling evilly she called out. "Jacob! Use Horn Attack!"

Faster than Chespin or Calem could react, Jacob had charged and gored Chespin with the horn at the end of his snout. Thank goodness Chespins lower body was relatively tough and had withstood the hit without any serious injury, but the damage had been done. Chespins health dropped down a quarter.

Calem gritted his teeth. That's right, since Rhyhorn was bred for racing, he was naturally faster than most Rhyhorn. But, his one saving grace was that Rhyhorn generally grew heavier the higher leveled they were, so Jacob was only Level 12, compared to Chespin who was Level 7. This also meant, Calem realized, that it would be easier than usual to flip Jacob onto his back, where he would be helpless.

"Chespin! Use Vine Whip to wrap around Rhyhorn and flip him on his back!" Calem yelled with confidence.

Chespin let loose his sturdy vines who wrapped around Jacob snout first as Jacob struggled to turn his body and charge Chespin once more. Grace, however, was smiling strangely.

Too late, Calem's eyes widened as Grace yelled out another command. "Use fury attack on those vines!"

The vines were sturdy no doubt, but they couldn't withstand the fury of the bug type attack and were quickly reduced to shreds. Chespin squealed in surprise and shock as Jacob freed himself. The super-effective bug type attack reduced Chespins health to the low yellow zone.

Cursing fluently under his breath, Calem tried to remember everything about Jacob. What were his moves again? Horn Attack, Fury Attack, Scary Face and...what was that last one? It was...it was...!

Calem and Grace screamed in unison.

"Dodge it!" "Use Crush Claw!"

The coinciding commands confused the dull-witted Jacob, who stared up at his trainer, not doing anything. Chespin, however, understood the urgency behind the command and, regenerating new vines in order to wrap around the branches, swung himself up a nearby tree. Safe.

Calem pumped his fists. The tides had turned! He might actually win this!

Filled with adrenaline and mind only on the joys of the battle, Calem issued his last orders. "Chespin! Target Jacobs back and use Vine Whip in rapid succession!"

Chespin, who seemed rather miffed about the blow to his gut, was only too happy to oblige as his vines shot out faster than a Pikachu's quick attack and started spanking the still confused Jacob round his backside at a blazing speed. Jacob howled in pain as Grace yelled commands at him to turn around and to bite the whips. But the damage was done. Jacob's legs trembled and then he collapsed in a dead faint. The battle was over, Calem had narrowly won.

Both battlers seemed to be stunned into disbelief at the outcome of the battle, neither saying a word for a full minute. Calem finally broke the silence. " I-I-I w-won?"

Grace glared up at Calem with eyes that blazed with hurt and embarrassment only to be shocked at what she saw as he stared back at her. In his eyes, right in the center, a wild spark of excitement was slowly dancing.

Calem closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and then, with no warning whatsoever, an explosion seemed to take place inside him. Jumping about a meter in the air, Calem recalled Chespin briefly, only to send him out again and start dancing around, twirling Chespin around with him as well.

"YIPEEEE! THREE CHEERS FOR CHESPIN! YEAH! HELL YEAH! WE DID IT YEAH!" Calem cried out in jubilation as he frolicked around the yard. Graces face turned red with rage and humiliation as the neighbors, who'd come out of their homes to find the source of the ruckus, stared at them over the walls.

Calem seemed to come to his senses when he realized no one else was shouting alongside him. He stopped skipping only to find most of Vaniville's population looking at him questioningly.

To Calem's credit, he didn't turn red or look embarrassed at all, despite having been caught swearing in a humiliating position. He merely waved to the neighbors and then marched back into the house, wearing the largest shit-eating grin he had worn in a long time.

* * *

The discussion which Calem and Grace had in the living room was a short, yet intense, one. It certainly wiped the smile off of Calem's face and burdened his heart. Grace was furious at Calem's win and didn't wish to honor her end of the bargain. But, as they say, a deal's a deal. Also, the fact that she was out of usable Pokémon and Chespin shaking his vines angrily in the background did seem to add incentive for Grace to keep her promise. She wrote a reply to Professor Sycamore, stating that her intentions were to allow her son to go on his journey. But she didn't do so quietly.

"I tried to teach you a lesson Calem, and I failed. But rejoice not, for the world will teach you a lesson." She hissed at his retreating back venomously. "I'm giving you about ten minutes to pack your things, and then you're out of my house for good."

Calem took no notice of her anger and climbed up the stairs to his bedroom, where he removed a bag from his cupboard and started shoveling his clothes, his toiletries, a few personal items so that he wouldn't be homesick and other such objects that might perhaps aid him on his journey across the Kalos Region. All the while thinking deeply about what Grace had just said.

" _I can't stay here anymore. It's time to leave this place, or I'll never find my own place in the world._ " Calem zipped up his bag with an air of resignation. " _I wish we could part on better terms, I wish it didn't have to be like this. But a Pidgey's gotta leave the Pidgeots nest, or it'll never learn to survive on it's own. I must do the same._ "

Taking one last look at his new room, one he wouldn't see in a VERY long time, Calem shut the door and trudged down the stairs and into the main hall.

Grace wasn't there, neither was she in the kitchen or the living room. Calem assumed she'd gone to practice Rhyhorn Racing. She always did whenever she needed to take her mind off of something painful, like whenever she remembered Dad. A quick look outside confirmed his suspicions. Jacob was gone.

Calem shook his head. It was better that he left now. He'd always hated sappy and sad goodbyes. His hand slipped away from the doorknob, causing the door to shut for the last time, as he walked off of the front porch. He was ready to begin his new way of life, come what may.

 **I feel like I pulled an Ash there or something. Anyways, I also think that's a good place to end it. I'm gonna move through Aqacorde town quickly so we can get through Santalune forest by next chapter. I've got a good idea for what should happen in there, and I'm pretty eager to get to Lumiose.**

 **Thanks for reading y'all, and as always, Have Fun!**

 **PEACE OUT**


	6. Continuation of The Legend: Route 2

**I freaking hate areas without wifi. Honestly, the internet ought to be made a basic human right, like food, water and clothing. That's all I have to say at this moment in time.**

 **Enjoy!**

Relationships crack, shatter and mend as Dialga spins the wheel of time. It's an unavoidable part of life. However, The breakage of a very old relationship, particularly one with your only known blood relation, tends to subdue the attitude of even the toughest-hearted beings. It was a very dejected Calem who passed through Aquacorde town, wondering whether his choices would screw him over in the nearby future. But in his heart, a passionate belief burned, hotter and brighter than the blazes that spring forth from a Rapidash's mane.

Calem stopped walking for a moment to blink back tears. " _I must've hurt mom severely. But I'll make her and dad proud. I'll become strong enough to protect myself and everyone around me, so that mom won't need to worry about what could happen to me while I'm out on my journey. I know I can do this. Thank goodness that lady offered my Pokémon and I a rest, so now we're ready for anything_."

Emboldened by this thought and filling the hollow place in his heart with confidence, Calem stood up straighter and began to jog a steady pace towards his destination, only to be stopped a few minutes later by a heavy-set man at the gates.

"Hail Pokemon trainer!" The man greeted Calem. "You have the look of a rookie. If I may give you a piece of advice, you should know that Pokémon may attack you if you step into tall grass on Route 2!"

"I already knew the battle part, that's kind of obvious. But the next route is called Route 2? That I didn't know." Calem admitted.

The man's eyebrows furrowed. "Kid, do you have a town map?"

"Uh, no. What's a town map?" Calem asked him quizzically.

The man stared at Calem for a moment before he shook his head. "Kid, a town map is a literal map of the Kalos region designed for Pokémon trainers to use. Without it, you'd get lost on the routes VERY quickly. How do you not have one if you're heading out on a journey? Didn't your parents give you one?"

"Parents" was a topic that Calem didn't want to think about for now. All he wanted was to get out of Aquacorde. He simply shook his head.

The man sighed. He dug in his pockets for a bit before finally pulling out a very crumpled looking folded piece of paper. "You're lucky, I just so happen to have a spare one with me. Use it well."

Calem gave the man a weak smile as he took the map. "Thank you very much."

The man waved him off. "Don't mention it kid, just be careful out there."

* * *

Calem did not resume his march after his meeting with the man, choosing to spend a few minutes studying the map of Kalos.

" _Hmmm, I guess my destination for now is Santalune city, it looks like the first gym is located there. But, in order to get there, I have to pass through an area called Sanatalune forest. Why does this sound so familiar? Oh yeah, Viridian forest between Pallet and Viridian city. I guess that's where Serena and the rest of the gang are headed, judging by the fact I can't find them after walking through this town for forty five minutes. I guess I'll have to make this up as I go along, Mr Mime style._ "

Calem stuffed the map into his own pocket and continued his walk through the gates, running across the bridge over the river and ending up on Route 2, where his first patch of tall grass stood waiting for him.

Calem wasn't thrilled to be going through tall grass without repels like he usually did back home, but it was that or go back home with his tail between his legs.

Breaking into a run, Calem bounded forward and rushed into the tall grass, only to be startled as a Pidgey leaped out and flew at his face.

Reacting quickly, Calem released Chespin, who body-slammed the Pidgey in mid-air, sending the Pokemon to the ground stunned.

Calem was not in the mood to fight wild Pokémon. Recalling Chespin, he fled the tall grass, only to find himself in the presence of Shauna and Serena, who seemed to be waiting for him.

Shauna grinned at him as he panted heavily. "Oh! Hi Calem!"

Serena was less amused. "We've been waiting here for, what, two hours now! What took you so long?"

Calem held up a hand as he steadied his breathing. "Nothing, just a little family dispute is all. Why were y'all waiting for me?"

Shaun tapped him lightly on the head as he bent down to keep his hands on his knees. "Serena was about to give me a demonstration on how to catch Pokémon, so I convinced her to wait for you so you could watch as well!"

"Well, actually I-" Calem began, only to be cut off.

"Serena's mom and dad are amazing trainers! I think her dad was even a candidate for the Kalosian Elite Four! Probably why she knows so much about catching and battling!"

Before Calem could react to this startling piece of information, Serena's cute embarrassed face distracted him.

She blushed. "Well, mom and dad may be good, but that has nothing to do with me. I'm my own person."

Calem was rather surprised to hear words that mirrored his own feelings about being known as the "Child of Grace" and not "Calem". His respect for her shot up.

Serena interrupted his musings one more. "Okay you two, watch carefully!"

Saying these words, she launched herself into the tall grass in front of them, not hearing Calem's spluttered protests of "I already know how!"

She clearly knew how to make an entrance into battle though. Out popped a Pokémon, which she engaged with a Fletchling, go figure.

The Pokémon that she'd startled had the body type similar to that of a Buneary, except that it's body was covered with gray fur with a few brown areas on it's neck, unfurled ears and it's feet. It was also a little smaller than a Buneary, having buck teeth and no patches of outward cream colored fur. All in all, it looked rather lame to Calem, who wouldn't have bothered catching it.

Serena, however, didn't share his view. "Fletchling, use Tackle!"

Fletchling kicked off of the ground and stretched her wings, slaming into the Pokémon with full force, knocking it off of it's feet.

The Pokémon slid across the grass before stopping, clearly dazed by the frightful blow. Serena, acting fast, pulled a pokéball out of her bag and flung it in the direction of the Pokémon, with great accuracy that Calem was pleased to see.

The pokéball slammed into the Pokémon's skull and opened, sucking the Pokémon in within a millisecond and shutting. It rolled three times before it finally clicked and sat still.

Serena quietly recalled Fletchling and picked up the pokéball, slipping it onto her trainers belt. "That's basically how you do it, pretty simple huh?"

Calem was about to compliment Serena for her fine throwing action when Shauna interrupted. "Wow! The Pokémon went INSIDE the pokéball?!" She burst out.

There was a slightly stunned silence as the context of what the girl had just said sunk in. Judging by the fact that even a toddler could tell you how pokéballs worked and that Shauna had a Pokémon of her own that she'd ALREADY used in battle, Calem thought it was the most asinine thing anyone had done that day.

Calem mentally face-palmed as Serena walked out of the tall grass and over to Shauna's side, a faintly amused smile adorning her face.

"Shauna? I don't mean to be slightly crass, but where do you think your Froakie is right now?" Serena asked sarcastically, yet kindly.

Shauna blushed, which Calem didn't really find as cute as when Serena did. "Oh, I may have just gotten carried away is all. I'm still new to this! I'm sure many others have asked that before me!"

Calem couldn't hold back a snort of laughter at this statement, which Shauna clearly heard judging by the fact that she glared at Calem next with her hands on her hips. "What?"

"Nothing." Calem tried not to grin, failing miserably."I just have allergies." _To stupidity._

Serena spotted the danger signs and quickly nipped the bud. "Here, I'll share some of the pokéballs with the two of you."

Serena made good on her promise, giving them both a handful of pokéballs in their miniature form which Calem stuffed into his bag.

Shauna's angry frown was quickly replaced with a glowing smile at recieving the gift. "Yay! Do you think I can catch Pokémon with them too?

Asking that question was the second most asinine thing Calem had seen anyone do that day. He would've snorted again, but decided not to in fear of reigniting the fight.

To her credit, Serena took the questions in stride, answering with a benevolent smile. "Sure you can! Anyone can, so long as they weaken the Pokémon first."

"Hold on." Calem interrupted. "Which Pokémon was that?"

Serena looked at him funny, like HE was the one who'd just asked a dumb question, which was slightly maddening. "It was a Bunnelby, a normal type Pokémon that you can find around here. I don't think I'm going to use him though, I might just release him later or keep him as a pet back home."

"Well, I do know that with these pokéballs, I'm gonna catch a whole bunch of Pokémon and then we'll be the best of friends!" Shauna exclaimed her desire.

Calem was getting really tired of this conversation, he was impatient to either spend time with Serena ALONE, or to try his luck in the tall grass himself and catch a Pokémon for himself. Shauna was sticking to Serena's side like glue though, so it seemed that the latter was his only option.

"Yeah, you do that. I'm just gonna go kick up some dust in the mean time." Calem spoke. "Serena, you wanna stick around?"

"Nah! I'm heading off to Santalune forest! See you!" With that, Serena blazed down the trail into more tall grass and was soon out of sight.

Not wanting to hang around Shauna lest she say something else stupid and take offence to his incredulity, Calem chose to follow her as he ran through the the tall grass, wondering when the REAL adventure would begin.

* * *

Calem wasn't happy. He'd been running around this damn route for a good hour-and-a-half searching for some Pokémon that would make a fine addition to his team. All he'd found were the same kinds of Pokémon that you'd find back in Kanto, save for Fletchling, which he didn't like, Bunnelby, which looked pretty weak to him, and a bug type Pokemon called Scatterbug, which hadn't impressed him either. He was at the entrance to the forest.

" _Screw this place. It's noon, and I'm sick of looking though this route, finding nothing and being burned by the sun. Santalune forest looks pretty shady to me, and I want to get to Santalune city by evening latest. I'm heading over there. Who knows? I might find something worthwhile there._ "

Calem took a few steps forward, only to be stopped in his tracks as a boy in a blue jacket and shorts materialized out of nowhere.

"When Pokémon Trainers eyes meet, a battle must begin!" saying so the boy unhooked his only pokeball from his belt and flung it onto the ground in front of him, revealing a Zigzagoon, a Pokémon that Calem also thought was completely useless except as an HM slave.

" _But he spotted me, I didn't see him."_ Calem thought to himself as he sent out Chespin, who growled at the opposing Zigzagoon, just as irritated as his master.

"Zigzagoon, use Tackle!" The boy yelled.

The Zigzagoon began charging at Chespin, running in a zig-zag pattern that made his movements difficult to track.

Calem, however, would not be denied. "Chespin, use Vine Whip with both your vines, one on each side!"

The slender green vines elongated from Chespin's back and started slapping the ground in front of him on either side, a tactic which proved fruitful as the Zigzagoon ran right into the attack. The Zigzagoon fell back, yelping in pain from the close-range lash on his face.

"Don't give it any let-up! Use Vine Whip again, but with both vines right across the face!" Calem yelled, wanting to end the fight.

Chespin did just that, whipping the Zigzagoon right on the kisser and knocking him out.

"Hey!" The kid yelled as he recalled his fainted Pokémon. "You should have told me you were that strong! Otherwise I wouldn't have challenged you!"

Calem rolled his eyes as his ID glowed, a sign he'd gained money. "You can't expect some random trainer you challenge to boast out that they're strong and that you have no chance of beating them, they'd be seen as making excuses and be considered weak. Consider that next time."

Calem left the boy spluttering as he stepped into the forest, hoping to find a new Pokémon and a real challenge.

 **I'm ending it there for now. I think I might split Santalune into two chapters for the sake of realism, what do you guys think?**

 **I'm throwing out a challenge for all of you, can any of you guess what Pokémon is gonna be Calem's next? There's an interesting reward for whoever figures it out first.**

 **Thanks for reading y'all, and as always, Have Fun!**

 **PEACE OUT**


	7. The Shadow Zone: Santalune Forest PART 1

**I know y'all are gonna ask where I've been. Without getting into details, let's just say that dealing with a hurricane, two wildfires and several broken ribs suck the life out of any red blooded human, but that's not the point, not anymore. I'll try and get an AN posted next time, though I hope there ISN'T a next time. Anyways, I'm back for the moment, and let the story continue. Sorry if I seem pretty curt. I know it's seriously late, but Happy New Year y'all.**

 _"Called it. It's exactly like Viridian Forest. Honestly, what're the odds? Pallet Town of Kanto and Vaniville Town of Kalos. Both have been my homes, and both had a much larger residential area ahead of them, followed by a forest. I guess I'm experiencing the Kalosian version of the traditional Kantonian journey. Oh well, it can't be helped."_

Though somewhat exaggerated, Calem's musings weren't entirely unfounded. Indeed, the creepy atmosphere that permeated the forest air felt quite similar to it's Viridian counterpart, though the lack of normally chirping bug and bird type Pokémon was queer. Nonetheless, it made Calem nostalgic for the old days, times of skillfully riding Jacob at terrific speeds through the tall grass, smashing any wild Pokémon that got in their way, having mock Pokémon battles with his friends and just having an overall swell time.

Calem closed his eyes, intending to revel in the sweet memories of his childhood, right before an annoyingly cheerful and high pitched voice shattered the silence and his concentration. "Caaaaaaaalem!"

Opening his eyes to the bearer of the voice, Calem smacked a hand to his forehead as he realized who it was. Corkscrewing his face into a smile and trying not sound irritated, Calem turned around to face the owner of the voice. "Hello Shauna, fancy meeting you so early into the forest. I'd have thought that you'd be on that route for longer, catching more friends or something."

"Nah, I decided that I'd need to find Pokémon from many different places, that way I'd make friends from all around and make much happier memories!"

Shauna looked more cheerful than she had back on the route, which was surprising to Calem, he hadn't thought she could become any more peppy. He decided to knock her down a peg, the perpetual smile was creepy.

"So, what'd ya call me for, another pokéball demonstration perhaps? I wonder if Chespin is still in his ball?" Calem joked, smiling at the girls smile quickly turning to a frown.

"I came to offer my companionship, _balourd_." Shauna responded angrily, hands on her hips. "I've explored this forest dozens of times and I know where to go, where not to go and where REALLY not to go. I thought you, as a newbie to this area, would like some help. Clearly I was wrong. Have fun getting lost." With those heated words, Shauna marched right past Calem and disappeared into the tall underbrush.

Calem stared into the direction she'd gone for a second, and then burst into laughter at her reaction, his voice echoing around the forest.

Wiping a tear from his eye, Calem grinned. "Now that was spunk! I kind of prefer her that way, she's much more interesting angry than happy. I guess all I have to do is piss her off when she says something stupid, cause that temper could actually be arousing in some situations!"

Laughing heartily, Calem proceeded to venture further into the forest. There were minute differences between the flora of Kalos and the flora of Kanto now that he was actually focusing on his surroundings. The canopy formed by the interlocking foliage of the Kalosian trees was less thick, allowing more sunlight to filter through and provide the area with just enough light for visibility to be more than zero. The trees themselves were shorter and more bush-like, with their broad trunks and still branches, despite the wind, giving out the impression of strength. The route wasn't overflowing with wild grass that you had to walk through to get anywhere, for which Calem was truly thankful. The most major difference that Calem noticed, however, was the complete lack of trainers. He had been certain that he'd run into Bug Maniacs who'd try to screw him over with some worthless Metapod or Weedle, and seeing nobody made him raise an eyebrow.

"Where is everyone?" Calem asked a patrol ranger he'd met 40 minutes in, almost relieved to have met another person other than Shauna. "I thought this place would be full of trainers itching for battle."

The rangers eyes widened. "Oh, you must be new to this area. The trainers all gather at the very end to battle. You see, the many trails of this forest are actually very winding paths that take you to many different dead ends. Trekking through Santalune forest itself is considered a test for many new trainers from Aquacorde and Santalune City, because you need to be patient and cautious as you choose which path to take, both deemed necessary qualities for a Pokémon trainer.

Calem nodded his head in understanding. "I see, so this is sort of a test that you must take to prove that you're ready for the Gym Leader? I thought that was the Gym Trainers job, are there any at the Gym? What type of Pokémon does the Gym Leader use?"

The ranger winked at Calem. "Nice try kid, but I can't just give out information like that! The whole point of there being different Gyms is to prepare you for the unexpected, to ensure that you never forget the importance of developing new strategies!"

Calem sighed. "Well, it was worth a shot. Can you at least point me in the right direction?"

The ranger shook his head. "I just said that the trek through this forest is considered a test, I can't help you there either. However, I can give you a little tip if you'd like."

Calem immediately looked up. "Yes please! I'll take any help I can get!"

The ranger smiled. "You don't have a DM, so you can't search an area thoroughly, but still keep your eyes peeled for fallen objects in this forest."

Calem watched, bemused, as the man turned his back and began to gesticulate in the direction of the inner forest. "Chances are you may find some useful items that other people discarded. After all, one mans trash is another mans treasure."

 _"So that explains why I used to find stuff back in Viridian Forest, but why would someone throw away a perfectl-"_

"You'd also reduce the impact of littering on this forest. The damage it does is incredible! I remember a story from my past actually, finding a Pokéball once and picking it up only to realise that it contained a Panpour! I later found out that the Panpour had found the pokéball on the forest floor and had started playing with it, but got caught when it decided to hit the ball particularly hard. So if you find any dropped items, you should pick them up. But don't venture TOO far into the forest, or you might disturb the Kakuna who are nesting at this time of year, and believe me, you do not want a swarm of Beedrill after you! There's your tip kid, I hope tha-"

The ranger turned back, expecting to see a grateful rookie, but only finding thin air.

* * *

Calem's thoughts were in a state of flux as he ran over the fallen leaves of the forest floor.

 _"Thank goodness I managed to escape that guys notice, I really don't have time to listen to monologues or stories. According to the Holocaster it's around 2 PM, and I do not want to be in this forest when it becomes Twilight and have Pokémon jumping out at me from the shadows darker than the inside of a Mightyena's mouth! I'll try each winding path to reach the exit, I have to find the right one eventually. If I get lucky and reach the exit early enough, I'll try and catch a second Pokémon for my team. If not, screw it, I'll just focus on Chespin and catch another Pok_ _émon for my team some other time."_

Calem put away his Holo-Caster and continued his jog through the forest, choosing one path west and focusing on moving forward, then quickly stopping as he came across a large patch of grass, swaying in the wind.

 _"Looks like this is an unavoidable obstacle, but is this the path to the exit?"_ Calem thought to himself as he checked his town map. It displayed that the entrance to the city was to the northwest of the forest. Perhaps this was the path.

"Oh what the hell. What's the worst that could happen?" Calem said to himself as he ran into the grass. Within seconds, a small dark shape jumped out of the grass and launched itself at him, slapping him right across the face.

"OW!" Calem yelped as he stumbled backwards, thankfully not falling over. Steadying himself, he laid eyes upon his attacker.

This Pokémon was different from the others he'd come across, and looked familiar. It was small, with a cream-colored upper torso and arms, green colored ears and a lower torso supplemented by a long tail tipped with two leaf-like appendages. The most distinguishing feature was its head, on top of which lay a sprout that contained a few large yellow seeds.

The Pokémon glared at Calem, baring it's teeth in a warning. It was at this point that Calem realised why it looked so familar. It's face was similar to that of an Aipom, but it wasn't normal type. This thing was clearly grass-type.

"CHESPIN! TACKLE THAT THING!" Calem roared as he launched Chespin's pokéball into the air. Chespin emerged from the glowing energy inside the Pokéball and hit the ground running, slamming into the Pokémon with a satisfying crack.

The Pokémon, clearly not expecting any resistance, glared at Chespin, freezing him in place with a Leer. Two long and slender vines quickly emerged from it's back, ready to strike.

Calem, realizing that the Pokémon was about to use Vine Whip, smirked and didn't order Chespin to use a move, knowing the attack would do practically nothing. He was half-right, as Chespin didn't even flinch when the vines slammed into his head. As a matter of fact, the vines got caught in the Spikes, immobilising them.

Calem grinned. "Use your feet buddy! Start spinning like a Hitmontop and take that little shit for a ride! See if you can slam him into that tree over there!"

Chespin began to twirl around and around, dragging the Pokémon into the air as he spun faster and faster, quickly becoming a greenish brown blur on the forest floor, the vines from the Pokémon beginning to rip and tear from the sheer centripetal force.

Realizing what would happen, Calem called out. "You're fast enough pal! Now crush him like an egg!

Chespin, however, chose to end matters with his own more brutal variation of Calem's command. Still spinning, he jumped into the air and high into the foliage, shocking Calem, allowing nature to do the rest.

"SNAP! CRUNCH! CRACK!" Calem cringed as the Pokémon was slammed into the many thick interconnected branches, breaking them outright across its face and showering the forest floor with even more leaves and logs of wood.

Finally, roughly 30 seconds after Chespin had jumped into the air, he seemed to lose steam. Deciding that enough was enough, he whipped his head, dislodging the the vines and leaving the Pokémon to fall 15 feet to the forest floor, where it landed with a soft thump and lay there, badly bruised and unmoving, with lime green sap slowly leaking out of its sprout like blood.

Chespin landed on his feet, albeit rather roughly, and stared up at Calem's stunned countenance with a toothy grin, expecting praise.

 **Looks like Chespin has very violent tendencies, I wonder how that's going to affect Calem in the long run, hmmm? Sorry if the ending seems unexpected, but I'm going somewhere with this. I'm not going with my usual ending because I'm really not in the mood to do so. Again, sorry if I seem curt. If y'all want the full details of what happened to me and why I was gone for so long, I'll reveal it in the next chapters AN.**

 **PEACE OUT**


	8. The Shadow Zone: Santalune Forest PART 2

**Sup yo? I know I'm not updating very fast, and I'm sorry for that. But I do have some good news. Without going into too much detail, I have been suffering from a dreadful ailment that has been sapping my vitality for many months. However, the worst is over, so expect quicker updates from now on. Enjoy!**

Calem was usually a fearless and free-spirited soul who tore around to his heart's content. Anything that broke the status quo or seemed out of the ordinary would either make him smile, piss him off or frighten him depending on the circumstances. But as Calem wandered further into the vast expanse of nature that was Santalune Forest, he wasn't sure whether it was the first or the last.

 _"Well, that was certainly effective, if not slightly unnerving. I mean, the fact he's willing to be innovative in battle is a good thing. I'm pretty sure that very few starter Pokémon would have thought to have used the surroundings to their advantage like that. But if he's this violent now, what about in the future? If I remember that pamphlet from the famous training school in Aspertia City correctly, as Pokémon grow stronger and evolve, their basic emotions and nature add on to their fighting style. So if Chespin is this fierce now, I wonder what he'll be like in the future? Will I have enough willpower to keep him in check?"_

Calem stopped abruptly as a disturbing thought crossed his mind.

 _"Hold on a moment. It usually takes some time for a Pokémon and a trainer to become friends, unless of course the Pokémon and the trainer are quite similar in personality. Chespin has taken a particular shine to me, so does that mean he and I are similar?"_

Calem shook his head. This was no time for idle mind-mapping, he was burning daylight in this forest and he wanted out. So far, he'd run into nothing but dead ends so far, although some had rewarded his persistence with items along the way, such as a few potions, a paralyze heal and an antidote. Unfortunately, he'd found absolutely no worthwhile Pokémon during the trek. It was the usual garbage, Caterpies and Weedles galore. The elemental monkeys, as he very quickly found out on his Pokédex, would only evolve with stones. So unless he managed to find one, which was unlikely considering how many collectors there were out there, he'd have to buy one at an exorbitant price, so they were out as well.

 _"Guess I'll just have to make this up as I go along."_ Calem thought, just as he turned right into another dead-end.

"Damn it!" Calem yelled for the fourth time in a row. Finally giving in to baser urges, Calem chose to verbalize his thoughts. "Why are there so many dead-ends in this forest in the first place?! Honestly, the only people who're gonna get through this maze are those who've lived here all their lives. You'd think that the Kalosians would plan ahead and create a separate test for those new to this area, but it looks like Jirachi just isn't on my side today."

Calem was, once again, rudely interrupted from his musings when a Pikachu leapt out of the tall grass, sparks flying from the pouches on its cheeks. Unbothered and hardly interested, Calem released Chespin who knocked the Pikachu out and backwards with a flying headbutt to the face.

 _"Heh, a Pikachu. Reminds me of Red from back home with his unnaturally strong Pikachu. If memory serves me correctly, after he became Champion with such a weak-looking pokémon by his side, people assumed that they'd been wrong about the species. Thousands flooded the forests, intent on catching a Pikachu for themselves. But after a few weeks, many soon realised that Pikachu were actually very weak. The one by Red's side was an aberration, a freak of nature that was not supposed to be so strong."_

Jirachi must've been listening to his earlier comments and must have been offended by his remarks. Calem had been so busy thinking of other things, he hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings and paid the price for that miscalculation by walking right into a tall tree.

"OW!" Calem yelled in pain and clutched his newly-bruised forehead, trying to stop the throbbing.

 _"You know what? That's it. Fuck this."_

Frustrated, Calem chose to kick the tree hard, which only resulted in further injury as pain shot up his leg.

Gritting his teeth and trying not to let out the loud exclamation of agony that begged to be released, Calem sat down in the grass and removed his shoes to check for injury, finding nothing except a small crack on the toenail of his big toe.

Calem was about to get up and put on his shoes again when he heard a sound to his right, like a heavy object falling onto a soft patch of ground.

Calem turned his head to the right and froze.

About 3 feet away, glaring at him with an intensity he wouldn't have thought possible, lay an infuritated looking Kakuna.

Instinctively, Calem turned his head upwards, only to be met with a horrifying sight.

 _"Sweet mother of Arceus..."_

Hundreds of Kakuna hung from the branches of the tree that he had just kicked, and all of them looked pissed.

Calem slowly got to his feet, discretely shoving his shoes into his bag and began to back away slowly, praying to the Holy Trinity of Sinnoh that the Kakuna would let him leave in peace.

Unfortunately, that prayer must not have reached them in time, for Calem had moved roughly ten feet away when the Kakuna all began to glow simultaneously, a sign that they were drawing out the latent energy within themselves to evolve.

Now painfully aware that he was in some very deep trouble, Calem threw discretion to the wind as he scrambled away in the opposite direction, his bounding strides taking him 3 feet forward after every step.

Calem's eyes watered as sharp thorns embedded themselves in his unprotected feet, but he kept running, knowing he was dead if they caught up with him.

 _"Beedrill are tireless hunters, they never stop chasing their prey. In Kanto, people scared them away by having fire pokémon breath out smoke as a sedative and as a warning. Shit, I knew I should've chosen Fenne-"_

Calem's thoughts were cut off when he heard the faint sound of buzzing behind him. Panicking, Calem made a sharp turn to the right and ran down one of the unexplored winding paths, heading deeper into the forest with the single desperate hope of throwing the Beedrill off of him.

Panting with exertion and frenzied, Calem made the reckless decision to make another sharp turn to the right, this time moving off the designated pathway and into the untamed wilderness, thinking that perhaps the Beedrill would be confused by a zig-zag motion and would become disoriented enough to allow him to escape.

Calem made another sharp turn, to the left this time, and entered a clearing. He barely had enough time to curse his luck when excruciating pain erupted in the backs of both of his knees.

Screaming in agony, Calem fell to the ground and skidded across the terrain, scraping the underside of his chin over a large rock in the process and drawing blood.

Calem felt the backs of his knees with his hands only to feel a very large, barbed and sharp object lodged quite deeply in his hamstrings.

So deeply lost was Calem in his debillitating injury that he neglected the sound of the buzzing, which had been growing louder and louder.

The rustling sound of a very large creature breaking through the trees drew Calem's eyes to the edge of the thicket, the sight finally extinguishing his hope of escape.

The Beedrill was much larger than those he'd normally seen back in Kanto. Almost three feet in length, it's red eyes focused beadily on Calem. Through the pain and fear, Calem noted that the Pokémon lacked the usual double stringers present on it's forelimbs.

 _"So, this is the fella who fired his stings into the back of my knee. Aren't they poisoned? I think..."_

The Beedrill was clearly incensed. Emitting a loud screech like a battle cry, it rushed at Calem, intent upon sinking it's stinger into the boys body.

Quickly ripping out the poisoned stingers, Calem grabbed Chespins pokéball from his trainers belt and released him.

"Chespin, use Tackle to keep that thing away from me!" Calem stumbled as he tried to stand up.

Chespin, clearly realizing the urgency of the situation, launched himself headfirst at the Beedrill with surprising speed.

The unexpected attack caught the Beedrill by surprise. Chespin scored a direct hit squarely in the thorax, his spikes deeply embedding themselves into the Beedrill's body.

Chespin jumped high in the air and did a somersault, throwing the wounded Beedrill off of his spikes and into a tree where it collapsed and lay still, barely twitching.

Calem had no time to celebrate the unexpected victory when five more Beedril broke through the foilage and surrounded Calem, alerted by their comrades battle cry.

The Beedrill infront of Calem emitted a loud screech similar to that of the one before it and fired it's stingers. Through sheer providence, Calem's legs gave out and he fell, dodging the stingers, but not before they'd grazed his face and left a bleeding wound across the bridge of his nose.

" _These guys are both bug AND poison type, both of which are effective against grass types. Arceus be merciful, we don't stand a chance..."_

Chespin, in the meantime, had been fighting his hardest to keep the Beedrill away from his master. He had tackled one of them and had used vine whip to tie up another. But the one he'd tackled had succeeded in firing his stingers into Chespins abdomen, weakening him. The remaining three had latched themselves onto the spiky Pokémon and were dragging him away.

"No..." Calem whispered as his faithful companion was taken away. His fear and pain turning to fury, strength surged through Calem as he leapt to his feet.

"NOOOOOO!" Calem roared in outrage as he charged the Beedrill, determined to rip them apart.

The Beedrill, who had not envisaged such predatory behaviour from what they percieved to be prey, were stunned into momentary paralysis, which proved to be the beggining of their downfall.

Chespin, encouraged by the yell of his master, shook the Beedrill off of his head and prepared to fight when the most extraodinary thing occured.

Chespin curled up into a ball, a bit like a sandshrew, and began to spin in place like a wheel, kicking up clouds of dirt and dust as the spinning burrowed into the ground. **(AN: Picture Sonic charging up an attack, that's what this looks like)**

The Beedrill shook themselves out of their shock and flew at Calem menacingly, attempting to finish the job and kill the boy.

The tide, however, had turned against them. The raging ball of rock and dirt that had once been Chespin flew out of the ground and landed on the head of one of the Beedrill with a sickening crunch, knocking the bug Pokémon to the ground.

Not finished, Chespin rebounded and landed on the head of another Beedrill, and then another. One by one, the Beedrill fell victim to Chespin's powerful assault, falling into the grass with a softer sound and lying still. They were dead.

The ball of rock, however, didn't stop spinning. Hardly had it touched the ground when it zoomed away in the direction the Beedrill had come from, barreling right through a tree trunk in it's path and leaving a gaping hole.

As Calem stared on in amazement, the forest was filled with the sounds of screeches and crunches as the ball of rock decimated the swarm.

"Rollout..." Calem whispered, recognizing the move from when his mother's Rhyhorn, Jacob, had used it. "A rock type move where the Pokémon surrounds itself in stone and crashes into it's opponents like a cannon ball, becoming more powerful with every collision. Chespin can learn rollout?!"

The screeching noises became fainter and fainter until they had faded completely. Chespin had either just destroyed all the Beedrill or scared the survivors away.

Calem shuffled forward as the ball of stone came tumbling out of the forest and stopped at his feet. The ball broke apart as Chespin leaped out, an expression of victory on his face.

The combination of the shock of his narrow escape, the exertion of the chase, the pain in his legs and poison finally overcame Calem's indomitable spirit. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, his wounded knees buckled and he collapsed.

 **Well, that feels like a good place to end it. Sorry this took so long to write. Like I said, some really serious stuff has been going on in my life. Do you guys wanna know? Tell me in the reviews and I'll PM each and every one of you with the details, I owe you that much.**

 **Thanks for reading, and as always, Have Fun!**

 **PEACE OUT**


	9. The City of Green: Santalune City

**Howdy y'all! Enjoyed that cliffhanger last chapter? Yes? No? In any case, get used to it, it's gonna be one of many in this story.**

 **Enjoy!**

 _Calem did not recognize his surroundings. He was in a forest unlike any he'd ever seen. Lined with large stones that seemed too orderly aligned to be naturally occurring, the landscape was a treacherous one, covered with ridges and crevices that enormous Sequoia grew over as though they didn't exist, large roots dangling in the air and interconnecting to form rough bridges over the gaps. As Calem looked around, he realised that the trees had grown in a ring structure, surrounding him._

 _However, It was what lay gleaming at the center of the ring that truly caught Calem's attention. Stumbling clumsily across the root bridges in his attempt to reach the center, it took Calem a while to reach it, but what he found there astonished him._

 _Truly an unusual pair. To the left lay a lustrous white tree, shimmering with a brilliant blue light and exuding an aura of vitality and peace that filled Calem with new life, rejuvenating him. To the right lay a black cocoon-like structure. No, not black. Had it not been for the glowing tree, Calem would not have noticed it. It appeared to be drawing all of the light from the tree into itself, like darkness given physical form. No aura emanated from it, but Calem noticed that, despite his feeling of renewal, he felt angry and empty. He could have watched the whole world burn in front of him and he wouldn't have batted an eyelash._

 _Calem turned to the tree and walked closer to it than the cocoon, his negative feelings vanishing in the wind as he approached. Something within the tree seemed to be calling out to him, urging him forward towards a destiny he had never even imagined. The light grew in intensity, dazzling Calem._

 _"I await you..."_

* * *

Calem's eyelids fluttered open as he awoke from his deep slumber. Confused and disoriented, the young boy sat up and shook his head like a wet Growlithe as he struggled to come to his senses.

 _"Huh. Well, I feel like I was dreaming about something important. Hey, isn't the bed too soft? And what's that beeping noise?"_

Calem looked down, expecting to see his normal striped dark blue sheets, but instead finding sheets white as the winter snow and a much more narrow bed.

Eyes widening at the sight, Calem turned towards the source of the beeping, only to find a monitor displaying narrow waveforms. Every time a wave appeared on the screen, the machine beeped.

Calem looked down at his body one more. He was dressed in something similar to a nightgown, with metal leads attached to his chest. The monitor was part of an EKG that was displaying HIS heartbeat, Calem realised. Feeling his face, Calem felt a bandage across the bridge of his nose where the sting of the Beedrill had sliced.

Almost afraid to look, Calem glanced at his immobile right arm. There it was, a syringe inserted into his veins and held there by medical tape, connected to an IV drip bag suspended by a tall metallic pole to his side.

Calem glumly put his head in his hands, his memories from before he lost consciousness flooding back to him.

 _"Perfect. I was attacked by Beedrill in Santalune Forest and now I'm in the hospital, literally hours after I began my journey. Just perfect. I gotta get outta here."_

Calem attempted to get off of the bed, only to realise his legs were numb and that his muscles weren't responding.

"What the hell?" A bewildered Calem wondered out loud.

Checking the railings of his hospital bed, Calem quickly located the red button that called for a nurse and jammed his thumb upon it.

Within half-a-minute, a nurse clad in the typical light green hospital scrubs walked into the room, a clipboard in his hands and the customary stethoscope around his neck.

"Glad to see that you've awoken young man. There's no need to worry, this is Blissey Teaching Hospital in Santalune City. Are you feeling alright? Any pain in your legs?" The nurse asked, the concern in his voice almost touching.

"That's actually the reason I called you in here nurse. I realise that I'm in the hospital, and I remember why I must have been brought here. To answer your question, I feel absolutely no pain in my legs, thanks for asking. As a matter of fact, I feel nothing at all. Why though?"

The nurse looked at him for a moment before answering. "You must be either very strong, very lucky or both. Two poisoned and venomous Beedrill stings lodged in that deeply? It's a wonder your leg muscles didn't die immediately. A forest ranger was alerted by a Chespin that we assume was yours. He was returned to his pokéball and your unconscious form was brought here. We managed to extract the stings before necrosis set in so your muscles did not suffer any permanent damage. However, our Wigglytuff alerted us to a problem while she was using Heal Pulse on you. It appears that the proteins from the neurotoxins of the Beedrill stings have bound to your nerves at the cellular level, making them impossible to extract or destroy. They are now constantly stimulating your nerve cells to cause you pain, and I'm afraid that pain is permanent. We have placed you on morphine for the time being so that you are not caught unaware."

Calem stared at the man, waves of shock crashing down upon him.

"So you're saying...I'm gonna be in pain for the rest of my life? No, that can't be. Isn't there something that can be done? Like ripping out the nerve cells and placing in sythetic nerves or regenerating them with Heal Pulse or something?"

The nurse shook his head. "I'm afraid that we would have to excise the entire nerve to remove the pain, which could be disastrous for you. We haven't developed synthetic nerves yet. Also, Heal Pulse only HEALS. There must be some of the nerve left to regenerate from, sort of like a new stem growing from a root of a plant. I'm so sorry, but there's nothing that can be done Calem. Painkillers might ease the pain for a while, but we can't risk you getting addicted to them."

"You mean, I have to just live with it? As in, tough luck?" Calem said softly after a moment.

The nurse quickly turned placatory. "No, I'm not saying that at all! It's just that-"

"Just that what? Just that it's unfortunate? I don't need to take this bullshit." Calem snarled, anger now replacing the shock.

 _"Screw this place. I'm leaving."_

Right before the nurse's unbelieving eyes, Calem grabbed the syringe in his arm and ripped it out roughly, hissing in pain as the needle exited his vein. Pulling the leads off of his chest and throwing them to the side, Calem turned to the nurse.

"I don't need morphine, and I'm not staying here. Sign whatever papers that need to be signed and let me out." Calem barked, removing the medical tape from his arm and attempting to get out of bed.

The nurse, caught unawares as to Calem's temperament, attempted to reassure the boy.

"I'm sure you wish to leave Calem, but we need to-"

"And how do you know my name?" Calem interrupted him.

The nurse sighed as he applied some sort of solvent over the skin the needle had pierced. "It was your trainer ID that gave us the information as to who you were and where you come from. As for you leaving, I have no authority over that. Only a doctor may sign a discharge form. I'll go and get her. But please let me re-attach the morphine drip and the leads? They shouldn't be detached or I will get in trouble. I'm still a trainee nurse."

Calem relented out of sympathy as he settled down on the bed and allowed the nurse to hook him up once again, feeling caged in the bed.

The nurse disappeared and returned soon with the doctor and a very tidy man in an expensive looking suit, a legal advisor to the hospital maybe.

The man in the suit spoke first in a business-like tone. "You wish to leave? Though you're a minor of only 16 years of age, your status as a rookie trainer complicates things. As per Kalosian law, Pokémon trainers are given various benefits and one of them is to be considered as adults at a certain age, with or without requiring counsel, in certain legal matters, including this one. If you were a full trainer, You could leave as your injury isn't life threatening and you are stable. However, you must first register for the status of full trainer in Lumiose city in order to receive the benefits. We may need to inform your mother Grace in order to receive her permission to leave."

"NO!" Calem burst out before realising he probably shouldn't raise his voice in a hospital. He lowered his voice.

"No, don't inform her. She was already against me going. If you tell her, she'll tell you to detain me and drag me home. I'll never get to..." Calem stopped as he was hit by a sudden inspiration.

"What? Are you okay?" The doctor questioned his silence.

Calem looked around the room. "Where is my bag? And more importantly, where is my pokéball?"

It was the nurse who answered this time. "They were removed from your possession in the ER and have been safely placed in a storage locker."

Calem grinned. "There is a letter of consent from my mother in that bag, addressed to Professor Augustine Sycamore. It gives me permission to help the Professor on a certain mission that may involve danger on my part. Would that suffice?"

The man in the suit thought this over. "Hmm, perhaps. We need to inform Professor Sycamore, and you will need to sign a writ waiving us of any accountability should your injuries worsen."

Calem sighed in relief. "Done. Get me that form, I'll sign it and then I'm out."

"Wait!" The doctor interrupted. "You're still under the effect of Morphine, you can't sign that until it wears off. It's late evening now, I recommend you stay the night." She pulled open the curtain to the window, revealing a darkening sky.

Calem sighed once more, this time in frustration. "Fine. How long was I asleep for, anyway? 3 hours?"

"Heal Pulse encourages the body to rest in order for cellular regeneration to occur. You have been asleep for two days Calem. The doctor gently informed him.

"TWO DAYS?!"

* * *

Calem grunted in pain with every step he took, the walking cane the hospital had given him doing little to take the pressure off of his legs.

 _"Fuck! Now I almost wish I hadn't left! Shit! Whatever, I don't need that morphine anyway. I'll just HAVE to get used to the pain."_ Calem thought to himself. Professor Sycamore had given the go-ahead as long as his life wasn't in danger or he wasn't at risk of permanent damage. The pain had been small at first but had slowly grown into a dull ache in both his knees as the morphine left his system. But this was Calems journey, he would not be denied.

Despite his suffering, Calem could not help but appreciate Santalune City. It reminded him slightly of Viridian City as both were connected to forests bearing their name. However, that was where the similarity ended.

Santalune City was circular by nature. Arranged in concentric rings as could be seen from the skies, the roads of Santalune were interwoven with each other, comprising of differently shaped stones that had been fit together to form pathways and had no dead ends. What had interested Calem were the gaps left in between the roads and the pathways for small groves of trees and other plants to grow, right in the middle of the street! The houses, apartments and public buildings were all very unique, of different sizes, colors and roofs, though the most popular color seemed to be blue and many houses had a hipped or flat roof, around the hospital anyway. Practically every window had a hanging garden of pink and purple flowers, and there were tens of cafes and hotels scattered about. It appeared that the Kalosians took aesthetics very seriously.

Calem had been pissed off when he'd learnt that the Gym was located at the exact opposite end of town from the hospital, though he'd calmed down a bit when he'd learnt that this meant that he'd only have to walk a straight line through the center of town to reach it. Nonetheless, he still wished the Gym had been right next to the hospital.

* * *

The center of town, as Calem found out, was a water fountain, constituted by a statue of a Pokémon that Calem had never seen before.

A well-rounded head with a very cute face comprised of medium oblong eyes with a small mouth in a smile. Its ears were long and drooping and it had a slender body with no legs, ending in an arrow-like tail. It clutched the stem of a flower, with three long petals and a single straight filament, that was anchored to the ground. The water flowed out of that filament in a large arc and into the basin of the fountain.

Calem had asked an elderly man, who was sitting on a bench close to the fountain, of its significance. The old man had responded that almost 3000 years ago when the city had been founded, the city founder, Lord Santalune, had built the fountain and had decreed that it remain as the exact center of the city, so that everyone may be equally close to immortality. When Calem had asked what that meant, the old man shrugged and had said that the Lord had never specified, leaving Calem mystified. He'd taken a picture with the camera function in his Holocaster, intent upon asking the Professor what the Pokémon was.

But the time for deliberation was over. He'd arrived at the Gym. It was battle-time!

Calem took a deep breath while the cane supported his body weight, straightened up, and entered the Gym, a man on a mission.

 **Well, the Gym battle is gonna have to be next chapter, because I want to focus a good chunk of that chapter on the battle. Looks like our hero is gonna be facing a tough time in the future.**

 **Thanks for reading everyone, and as always, Have Fun!**

 **PEACE OUT**


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